windancer4x4

Hi all,

I was charged $985.00 on my plastic card and got nothing for it...HELP!!

So, by now many there know me already! Ya, I am the one swapping the 1GR-FE 4.0L V6 into my 1992 4X4 p/u truck. To finalize things, I am almost finished so I wanted to treat my truck nicely and put a custom Aluminum Radiator.

I contacted this fabricator in Piedmont, SC 29673 and we finally agreed on one costing a whapping $985.00 to include an electric fan, shroud, auto tranny cooler, wiring harness, mounting brackets.. etc. After repeated inquiries from my side and delays from that Aluminum custom Radiator fabricator which is ironically listed even in Summit Racing catalog, I filed a non-delivery dispute with my bank against the charges already taken for the full cost of the radiator and the headache story only begins!! The company kept on giving my the run-around and delays after delays then promised a 24hrs. ruch order followed by Octber 23 as delivery date then October 29 and till now did not pay me back a penny as a refund to my credit card account. Since I am not familiar with the legalities involved, I stopped short from naming the Radiator provider. It not that difficult to figure out either!

Few days back I got an envelop in the e-mail stating that the company filed on October 28, 2005 a bankruptcy protection with the court in South Carolina. That's where I feel I was scammed/cheated because the company knew in advance that they were going south and will not be able to deliver and despite all of that they went and charged my credit card when I asked about my order # and status or else I would have to cancel my order and seek another provider!!

Now, I am basically stuck with headache and not sure what the status could be. The bank is still following up with Visa International since I work/reside now in one of the Persian Gulf countries.

I seek your professional opinion and assistance against those who do not mind to steel your money, time and peace of mind for them to live as parasites feeding on others’ blood.

If you believe in the 4X4 friendship and club as an honorable hobby, let’s also unite against the hideous behavior of businesses like this one. I am losing time and money because my truck as you will soon see is waiting for the Radiator. I have loads and loads of communication with those people (the company) to prove my case –which I already submitted to Visa- and I shall not rest till justice is reached. I am contacting the Better Business Bureau in South Carolina to aid me with this and my biggest fear is that their bankruptcy filing on October 28, 2005 will protect them against their liabilities of August 2005!! How ironic?!

Please HELP… let your voice be heard… My money was ripped off my hands under a curtain of legitimate practice/business…. The company knew they were not able to deliver!! Despite that they went and charged my credit card for almost a thousand dollars.

Thanks for reading about my agony… I am a hard working individual working to provide to my family and to live a respectable life>>>> NO CHEATING ALLOWED!! I appreciat eyour feedback.

The WINDancer of Las Cruces, New Mexico
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99_Runner

Man, that really stinks. Hope that it works out in your favor.

Blisster

Can't your credit card company do a "charge-back" for non-delivered goods? I see this all the time in my line of work.

rimpainter.com

Hey, I am in Las Cruces all the time (my wife is from there). Oh, sorry back to the topic. Yeah, I am confused here. The CC company should have you covered. Sometimes it involves a small $50 fee, but most of the time this sort of thing is written into their terms and conditions - especially VISA. Have you spoke with their customer service department? Let them know what is going on. I bet you are covered for the full amount and have nothing to worry about.

That was pretty low on the part of the shop, but it doesn't surprise me given the behavior I see in business every single day. I am also a business management major and you wouldn't believe some of the cases we have studied. I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted!

windancer4x4

Wow guys..impressive replies in just few hours from spelling out my guts and frustration... to answer some of the Q's above.. The credit Card issuer here put the disputed amount aside but only after 45 days they take the matter to second level of collection management .. I guess they act differently around here than in the States..

Christian.. Las Cruces rocks... I love the Southwest!
for those who want to know the name of the low treatment provider e-mail me at fakri@usa.com

slyang1012

yeah.. i was gonna say all that^. Goodluck. Oh yeah.... you also should SWEEET talk the rep IF she is a girl.

windancer4x4

Here is a profile of a dude from Griffin Rad I am copying and pasting his "mind blowing" remarks as if it is OK to take your money NOW and promise a radiator next year..MAY BE... My advise...run find yourself a job elsewhere man!!...below is just a copy& paste of what Jason had to say
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http://www.streetrodstuff.com/Roundt...=1&msgId=84720
Name: Jason Dehn
Email: jdehn@griffinrad.com
Occupation: Engineer, Griffin Thermal
City: Piedmont
State/Province: SC
Country:USA
Website:http://griffinrad.com

We are still all here and it is buisness as usual. We did infact file Bankruptcy but this is to help us out with a slough of bad management that was given walking papers prior to doing this. If you have an order with us it is still in process and will be until completed and sent to you. If you have a warrenty issues just contact the returns department and they will handle this as well. The only impact we are seeing is longer production times. I know this is a big issue with some applications but; please contact your sales rep and he or she should be able to answer some questions you may have. I am in the engineering side and follow alot of forums if i can answer any questions please let me know.

Thanks, James
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That's ironic to say the least...I'll charge you today and may be I'll build you a radiator...of, wait a minute I filed for bankruptcy, so how about you forget your money and the radiator too!!!

oh, by the way, the other guy is saying:

JBURNS@GRIFFINRAD.COM
"We have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is for restructuring. We are still open and still building and shipping radiators."

I say for this is completeyly untrue...my money is being held with them and I got nothing in returnsince I was promised a delivery of a Rad. in Sep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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windancer4x4

Guys..guys.. Wouldn't you think it is a good idea to alert the Better Business Bureau in Piedmont, SC 29673.
>>>>>The public deserves better..

BruceTS

As long as it has been reported to your CC, your covered..... it may take 45 days, but eventually you'll get your $$$ back.